help Kids cannot keep thier hands off each ot

AWWWW, i have 21 pre K in my class, and I cannot get them to keep thier hands to themselves....I have talked with parents, tried to keep some away from others, and so on...with so many kids and just me, i feel like I cannot be in every place at once....I am scared that someone is going to get hurt...thanks

Wow 21 and no help!..i have 12 and no help!! i know how you feel. It seems like they can never keep their hands to themselves. If I had a dollar for the amount of times i say "keep your hands to yourself" I would be rich ! .. All I do is keep reminding them. I have a behavior sticker chart. They have to get ten stickers in order to receive a prize. They cannot talk on top of me, they have to KEEP THEIR HANDS TO THEMSELVES, no running inside and be respectful and kind in order to get a sticker. It's still a little early but they seem to be improving. Just keep reminding them and tell them that you don't want anyone to get hurt.

At circletime, do they have a set place to sit? What about to line up in the classroom? Taping pictures, names, etc on the floor can be worth the time because it helps you keep them spread out and less likely to push. If they have the same seat everyday, it also allows you to seperate kids who don't do well next to each other. Do certain "busy" kids need extra help to learn where to keep their bodies? You could try small chairs with arms, mats, bumpy seats, etc to sit on at circle time.

I've noticed w/ my class that I have to keep them busy and engaged, esp. during transitions, or they find something to amuse themselves such as grabbing a friend! For every transition, we sing a song or play a guessing game (ex: I'm thinking of an animal with stripes who lives at the zoo...). I also try to keep them engaged by telling silly jokes (ex: OK, when I count to three, we'll walk to the playground. 1 ... 2 ... tomato? Wait! I need your help!").

If someone does get hurt, I'd explain to their parents that: "There has been some pushing in the classroom. This is a typical developmental stage as children learn about personal space and interacting w/ peers. However, I want everyone to be safe in our classroom, so I take this behavior very seriously. These are the things I've implemented to reduce hitting: x, y, z."

I find that this is one of the bigger problems I face in my class. The above suggestions are great and work very well.
The only thing I can add is to teach the children how to "talk to him/her". I demonstrate this often in a group setting, role-playing with a few children who "get it', showing what to do if someone skips you in line, if someone hits you with a ball, bumps into you, etc. We exaggerate the negative and positive ways to deal with these situations. (And practice, practice, practice for those who have more difficulty)
For example, if someone skips you in line (seems to be a big deal with this year's class) you can either knock them down to get your place back (with appropriate facial expressions) or you can tap their shoulder and say "hey, you skipped me!" I've found that acting this out REALLY helps my children, who seem to go for the most violent reaction rather than the mildest reaction. Most of the time, having the children tell the "offender" how they were "offended" is enough to prompt a pretty sincere apology from the offender and an offer to right the situation. The apology soothes hurt feelings and all the injured party really wants is to right the situation.
I also repeat, often, that if "talking" doesn't work or the offender won't listen, to bring the situation to my attention immediately and I will intervene. (ex. if the offender says, "so!" and ignores the injured party, then that party comes to me, I help them "talk" and try to reach a good solution, if all else fails, I'll have the offender go to the end of the line.)
I know I end up being the "judge" sometimes, but I don't have to do as much policing (sp?) either. I really think that you have to TEACH appropriate behavior and social skills to today's children, you know, all the things WE were taught at home. I found that especially true in the at-risk public preschool settings in the past and now in the daycare setting where I work.
Even though I have 23 students (about 5 too many, imo), I have a full time assistant, so I can step aside to help with conflicts as needed, or she can handle it while I continue with something else.
I hope that helps if you are dealing with similar situations.

Wow! I don't know what state you teach in, but in Ohio it would be illegal to have 21 preschoolers in a classroom with only one teacher. Our state ratio is 12:1 & they are looking at lowering it to 10:1. I really feel for you. I know in my Pre-K class we started the year off by reading the children's book
"Me First!" by Helen Lester. It's a great book about a very pushy little pig ... my kids were shocked at his rude behavior. After reading the book to the class we all came up with our "Classroom Rules". I took a large poster board & listed the rules ... #1 Keep Hands & Feet to Yourself, #2 Raise your hand, #3 Walk to where you are going, #4 Be a Good Friend, etc. After the rules had been established, everyone signed the bottom of the poster board to affirm. This hangs on my classroom wall & I refer to it from time to time. It's helped a lot with classroom behavior & the best part is that the kids had a hand in creating them.
Good luck!

At the beginning of the year we say, "Finger on you lips, hand on your hips" for walking in the hall. But as the year goes on they get tired of the same thing so we changed our routine.
One day we were lining up to go to lunch right after a fire drill. One of my students said something about a SpiderMan Drill. And I replied, "I wish we had a SpiderMan Drill. Sticky arms, sticky lips. " They like this idea. From then on they folded their arms, and stuck their lips together and did the Spiderman Drill. It worked for us.

I work with Head Start kids. I have one child who just can;t keep his hand to himself. So I brought a carpet square for him to sit on. He thinks that it is a magical carpet. He is really trying to stay in his space. It has gotten better over time. He has also stopped speaking out of turn. I took a chance on this idea and so far so good. It appears that he feel more comfortable. I don't get as many complaints from the other children that he is touching. I could not believe that the other children didn't ask for a carpet square for themselves. It was like they are glad that he left them alone.
Good luck on your ideas that work for you.
gospelcharlie

I just answered a call from my five year old sons father who has just told me that our son has once again gotten in trouble for not keeping his hands to himself. The first time it was for him grabbing his friends hand and making his friend punch himself and then today he got in BIG trouble for pulling his friends shirt up while his friend was going to the bathroom. My sons father said the the childs parents were called and told about this incident and as of right now I am not sure what else has happened. I am really upset about the situation and am unsure what to do at this point? The Mama Bear in me wants to fully protect him but I know that will only hurt him.